volunteers

I asked our group of 7 (not counting me) MG Nursery volunteers when they
would like to pot-on some of our stock that had outgrown their pots. After
a week 3 responded, so I wrote a message giving another 10 days notice of
the date they selected and the time (5:30) that one had particularly
specified. None of them showed up. One suddenly had another engagement and
another said she didn't feel like it.

On the other hand, it's a great season for volunteers in my own garden.
Heliopsis Loraine Sunshine keeps providing me with lots of variegated
babies. And this year, for the first time, I discovered Ligularia dentata
volunteers!! I've potted about 8 of them and they grow their roots very
quickly. Some have red veining and leaf edging like the parent; some are
just green. I have some nice Brunnera volunteers too. Leopard's Bane,
Doronicum 'Little Leo' always provides babies that stay pretty close to
mama. Lilium lancifolium (Tiger Lily) reproduces happily. Paeonia japonica
(woodland type) has several new seedlings.

I could do without the Geranium yoshinoi volunteers, they're becoming
rampant weeds, but they are pretty. The Myosotis (Forget Me Nots) are
looking ucky but I don't deadhead them because those volunteers are always a
sure-seller. Korean Hyssop, is quite the self-sower, but there are always
plenty of insects volunteering to pollinate it. Euphorbia polychroma
volunteers pop up quite a bit too; plenty to pot. Then there's the
Rudbeckias. R fulgida 'Goldstrum' provides 5 or 6 nice extra plants every
year, but R triloba became a real troublemaker. I potted a couple dozen
gallons, the rest had to be pitched. There's always abundant Catnip, Marvel
of Peru, and Malva seedlings too

New this year are two Asclepias, Swamp Milkweed (A. incarnata 'Cinderella')
and Butterfly Weed (A. tuberosa. Only Cinderella has bloomed as yet and
she's been enjoying her share of Monarchs. I'm hoping these two plants will
offer up some seedlings in a few years. I love seeing new babies pop up!

So how is your garden's progeny coming along? Or are they considered weeds?
Kitty

neIN, Zone 5

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